Can blueberry seedlings be propagated by cuttings?

Blueberry is a very popular fruit with a sweet and sour taste, unique flavor and high nutritional value. There is a great demand for blueberry seedlings in the market, so many people cultivate blueberry seedlings. So can blueberry seedlings be propagated by cuttings? Let’s learn more about it below.

Can blueberry seedlings be propagated by cuttings?

Blueberry seedlings can be propagated by cuttings. Cutting propagation is the main method of blueberry seedling cultivation. Compared with tissue culture propagation, it has lower costs, can maintain the excellent traits of the mother plant, has a low mutation rate, and has the characteristics of fast formation and early fruiting. Currently, blueberry cuttings are mainly hard branch cuttings and green branch cuttings. Most highbush blueberries are mainly propagated by hard branch cuttings, rabbiteye blueberries are mainly propagated by green branch cuttings, and lowbush blueberries are propagated by hard branch cuttings and green branch cuttings.

Blueberry hardwood cutting propagation method

1. Cutting selection

When choosing cuttings, you need to cut them from pest-free and healthy trees, and try to avoid choosing branches that have been damaged by winter frost or have long branches. If there has been disease in the blueberry garden, the length of the cuttings must be 15 cm when they are actually selected. It is best to use annual nutrient branches as cuttings.

2. Cutting time

When cutting cuttings, they need to be processed before they sprout in spring, and the cuttings should be taken as they are cut to save storage time. When a large amount of seedling raising work is in progress, it is necessary to cut the cuttings in advance. Generally speaking, the branches require 800-1000 hours of cold temperature when they germinate.

3. Cuttings

For cuttings, the length is usually 8 to 10 cm. The upper part is cut flat and the lower part is cut obliquely to ensure that the lower incision is below the bud, so as to improve the rooting rate. After cutting the cuttings, you need to bundle them together according to the actual situation and temporarily bury them with wet river sand.

4. Matrix selection

When choosing the cutting medium, both straw charcoal and river sand can be used. If sawdust or river sand is used as the cutting medium, it needs to be transplanted in time after rooting. If the transplanting is not timely, it may affect the growth and development of the seedlings.

5. Seedbed selection

Cuttings can be directly planted in the field and laid into a substrate bed with a width of 1m and a thickness of 25cm, and the length standard can be made according to the specific work needs. A method that is currently widely used and relatively inexpensive is to use a wooden structure bed. By using wooden boards, it is made into a wooden box with a length, width and height of 2.1 and 0.4m respectively. A hard board with a mesh of 0.4m is nailed to the bottom of the wooden box. By using round log frames to keep the wooden box at a certain distance from the ground, the rooting rate can be improved on the basis of increasing the substrate temperature.

6. Cutting method

Water the substrate to ensure thorough watering and control the specific amount of water. It is best to ensure that the humidity meets the requirements without water accumulation. After the moisture conditions meet the requirements, insert the cuttings vertically downward and control the distance between the cuttings. Generally, 5cm is enough to avoid affecting the development after rooting due to excessive cutting density.

7. Management after cutting

After completing the cutting work, you need to water it regularly to ensure that the soil moisture is always within the required range. Control the amount of water to avoid too little or too much watering. Fertilizer can only be applied after the cuttings have taken root. It should be in liquid form and applied once every 7 days. After the fertilization work is completed, spray water on it in time to wash away the fertilizer residue on the leaves.

That’s it